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River of Ages
The River of Ages is a mythical river of fire that represents the inevitable, irreversible passage of time. All things, both physical and metaphysical, "float" on this flow of fire, always pushing reality downstream, toward the wide end of the River. The River was studied by some ziraduun during the Myriad, but those records are mostly lost. Today, the only remaining knowledge of the River is held by the Cayrien Order, in their libraries. The Beginning and End of Time The River is said to be constantly widening, slowing down, and gradually cooling. According to myth, the River's source is a single, infinitely dense, infinitely hot point in time, when all creation began. As it flows downstream, the River grows slower, wider, and cooler. At some point in the distant future, the River will grow so wide that it stops flowing and comes to rest. Here all things will reach their final fate, and time will end. Alternate Paths Through Time All life and everything known to kin "floats" on the River like a passive leaf, every moment represented by a chance of floating up, down, left, or right -- but always downstream. Although our reality lies along a single, certain path, all alternative paths still exist and are arguably equally real. These paths may split and intersect, potentially causing alternate realities to merge downstream. Elsewheres: Pivotal Moments and Impossible Paths Obstacles in the River may cause the flow to temporarily narrow and accelerate (like rocks or shallows in a physical river), reducing the number of possible alternate realities. These obstacles are called Elsewheres, and they are associated with major world-changing events that force many alternate paths to a single outcome; or small, seemingly insignificant events that cascade into major divergences in world affairs. For example, as a young child, the Norstman Neitsches was afflicted with pox and nearly died. His doctor gave him equal odds of dying in his sleep or surviving the night. He survived, recovered, and went on to become Neitsches the Conqueror -- forever changing the future of all Thlossian man-kin. The night Neitsches survived is cited as the edge of an Elsewhere -- a single, seemingly insignificant turning point in the course of world history. The reality where Neitsches died was equally likely, and the resulting world would have been very different. And all "realities" where Neitsches neither lived nor died are called Elsewhere -- they cannot exist, nor can they merge with other flows of the River further downstream. They are voids in reality -- countless impossible worlds forcing fate to "choose" between two possible realities. Time Travel (Upstream / Downstream) Anything floating passively on the River is unable to perceive the River. It is said that "the River of Ages runs quietly through all, and we quietly through it." The only way to detect the River of Ages is to attempt to "fight" the flow, for example by using powerful wizrada to "swim" upstream -- in other words, trying to travel back in time. This exposes the "swimmer" to an astronomical flux of raw energy and heat, easily capable of incinerating all body and consciousness. Even during the Myriad, when powerful ziraduun studied the River, any attempt to fight or alter the River's flow, even if only for a fraction of a moment, often released catastrophic firestorms, caused city-size explosions, or totally incinerated the caster and his soul. It was considered the most dangerous field of magical study, and banned in populated areas. In Book 1, while Mikoa spends time inside the Snow Anchor, only a few seconds pass for her physical body in Landfall. When she leaves the Snow Anchor and returns to reality, her soul is incinerated by a "river of fire" and she sees a powerful explosion play backwards in time. When her soul rejoins her body, the explosion plays forward and destroys the town around her. This massive explosion is the result of her soul being forced to "swim" upstream on the River of Ages to rejoin her body. Her body and soul had become disconnected in time, and that disconnect needed to be reconciled. Realms Outside the River The flesh, the shadow, and the grim dream all float equally on the River of Ages. Thus, "time" is equally real in these realms, and time travel is equally difficult. Certain mysterious realms are said to be "outside" the River of Ages. Most notably, fae dells, siabra paths, and woespawn interact with the River in mysterious, unpredictable ways. "Time" inside a fae dell appears unrelated to time outside the dell, sometimes causing bizarre and dangerous side effects. Siabra sometimes speak of events that haven't happened yet, making them a source of many prophecies. Ga'arg and ghuul do not appear to age during the time between their invasions of Landfall (time spent "inside" their woespawn). The mythical Garden of Eterra is also outside the River of Ages. Spells and Artifacts Certain magical spells and artifacts interact with the River of Ages. * Khazr's whiterock ring: Allows the wearer to see multiple possible futures. The more likely the future, the clearer the vision. * novahex r'tyrl'gnaedir: A devastating firestorm spell, resulting from a brief disconnect between an object's physical flesh and its maeren soul. The longer the disconnect, the more powerful the explosion.